Egypt’s daylight savings time starts July7 until end of October

CAIRO: The government announced the summer daylight savings time will begin in Egypt as of July 7 until the end of October, Youm7 reported Friday.

The decision to move clocks ahead one hour has been cancelled in April 2015 in a decision by President Abdel Fatah al Sisi after former Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab has commissioned the Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC) to carry out an initial study over the implementation of daylight saving time.

After being in effect since 1988 until the January 25 Revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak in 2011, Egypt’s interim Cabinet headed by Esam Sharaf cancelled daylight saving time after a poll posted on its website showed that 80 percent of participants approved the decision.

Although daylight saving time is believed to reduce electricity consumption, the Electricity Ministry had submitted a study to the Cabinet in 2014 showing that the switch had no impact.

In the summer of 2014, Egypt changed its clock four times, first applying daylight saving time on the first Friday of May, then suspending it during Ramadan, then reinstating it at the end of Ramadan, and then cancelling it at the first Friday of October.

Chairman of EgyptAir Hesham el Nahas said the international flights were not affected by the government’s decision postponing the implementation of daylight saving time.